


The Above

by ArsenicHazard



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Discovery, Exploration, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:08:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22625305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArsenicHazard/pseuds/ArsenicHazard
Summary: Keith has lived his whole life in the underground city, but what is laying above the surface?(Originally written for Inktober 2016)
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 20





	The Above

Keith had never seen the light of day. Literally. After the invasion on earth that was spoken about in old history textbooks, the surviving humans had gone underground. The Galra attack had destroyed most of their atmosphere, and so human skin could not withstand the radiation in the daylight.

As one of the few young teens that were more adventurous, Keith had joined the space cadets. There was hope, after several generations of living under the earth, that the atmosphere was repairing and saving their planet. He wanted to be one of the first men to step foot on the Above.

It was after one particular training session that Keith overheard the voices of his superiors in their offices, discussing that exact topic.

“Sir, I am positive this is not a glitch. We have never had readings like this before.”

“But  _ life _ ? You are telling me that there is something surviving up there? It’s impossible, Lieutenant.”

“We must believe what the readings are saying. They have not been wrong yet.”

“Fine. Gather the next working bot, send it up and check out what you are finding. I don’t want the word ‘life’ going around and getting the whole city in a panic.”

Keith stepped back, immediately moving further down the hall as he heard them approach the door and leave.

So there were signs of life up top? He wondered if it was Shiro. If the man that had been missing since the attack had finally found his way back. In his high hopes and excitement, Keith had already begun to make plans. He knew he needed to try to get to the top and find Shiro. How he was going to do that, without burning up from the radiation, was beyond him.

**.** **.** **.**

Within a week’s time, Keith had come up with a plan. He hung back after hours, hiding out in a janitorial closet. Once the coast was clear, he snuck into the armoury, grabbing a suit and tugging it on, This would save him from the radiation, if he did his calculations right. Next, he found his way to the machine docking area. Since humans couldn’t breach the surface, the government sent robots up there, ones that were able to withstand the sun.

It was a tight squeeze, but the young man climbed the shaft that led up towards the top, tugging at the crank and opening the door. He stepped out, staring at the open land and sky above him. So this was the Above. The land was barren, no signs of vegetation, just like the textbook had told them. The air was cold, almost crazily so, stars twinkling in the night sky. The moon was vibrant and Keith almost forgot to breathe. Everything was so… beautiful.

The teen remained there for some time, taking it all in before he remembered his mission. Not even a few minutes into walking, he felt a hand grab his wrist from behind and tug him down, tackling him. He let out a shocked cry, staring up into a tanned face that was glaring back at him. “Who are you?” The person hissed.

“Uh- Keith.” He managed. The teen had bright features, and if he wasn’t looking threatening at the moment, he would have been extremely handsome. “Are you the sign of life we’ve been detecting?”

Slowly getting off of him, the other stood up. He wasn’t wearing a suit, completely exposed to the radiation, and yet it wasn’t killing him.

“Is the air breathable up here?”

The boy sat back on his heels, sticking out a hand. “The name is Lance. And yes, it is.”

Hesitant, Keith moved to release the airlock on his suit, the visor opening. He held his breath at first, before he realized he was not dying. “Wow.” He murmured, seeing his own breath. “This is incredible.”

“You’re from the underground civilization?” Lance asked, sitting on the ground with the other boy. Keith nodded, giving him a grin. 

Keith had never seen the sun in person, but he had seen it in textbooks. Lance reminded him of the sun. His vibrancy and the air of warmth around him made him feel like he was drawn to the other.

“This is so amazing, I must go inform the others.”

“No! No, don’t do that!” Lance said hurriedly. He grabbed the other’s wrist again, shaking his head. “They can’t know. They will destroy it all again.”

Keith felt torn. He had a loyalty to the world he had grown up in, and he felt it would be wrong to continue pretending that nothing existed up here, but Lance looked genuinely concerned about how many people knew this secret.

“Keith. Don’t. Stay the night; you’ll see what I mean. You won’t want them to know either.”

After a long pause, the underground boy obliged. They spent the night talking to one another, Keith asking questions about the Above, Lance asking about the Underground. Each gradually satisfied their curiosity, then just relaxing together in their presence. They had grown unnaturally close after that, filling their time with leaning into each other, sharing their air, kissing. They kissed a lot that night. Keith had never felt so attached to one person in such a fast amount of time, but Lance was entirely different. He wasn’t just anyone. He was the Sun. He was the beautiful world above ground, in all its elegance. He passed out like that later that night, head resting on Lance’s chest, breathing softly.

Keith felt someone shake him awake, not realizing he had dozed off.

“Keith. Look. The sunrise.” Lance whispered, making the other sit up and watch.

The vibrant colours seemed to burst through the sky, reaching out to touch every star as they faded away. Keith was struck in awe, He had never experienced something so beautiful.

“If you bring them up here, they will ruin all of this.” Lance explained. “They’ve done it before, and they will do it again, I’m sure.”

Keith nodded in understanding, looking over at the teen. He had finally come to a decision, standing. “I won’t tell them anything. But- can I still meet you here tomorrow night?”

Lance grinned at him, moving closer. He reached up to cup his cheek. Moving in to kiss him hesitantly, the boy accidentally hit the button to lower Keith’s visor. They both couldn’t stop laughing after that.

Maybe the Above could be their own little secret hideaway.


End file.
